The Pradillo Dam: adventure guaranteed one hour from Madrid
An easily accessible enclave in the middle of nature, ideal for practicing with our camera and, incidentally, making a route of just two hours affordable for the whole family. The Pradillo Dam is located on the outskirts of Rascafría: Northwest of the Community of Madrid, in the heart of the Lozoya Valley, within the Sierra de Guadarrama and the Peñalara natural park.
It will take an hour by car from Madrid capital driving on the A-1 (Burgos road) and turning off at exit 69 to take the M-604. The other option would be to go up the A-6 (La Coruña road) and leave the M-601 at exit 39, which will also take us to the M-604 via the SG-615.
After crossing the town, we continue towards Puerto de los Cotos, leaving aside the Monastery of El Paular and shortly after the access to Las Presillas, the bathing area from where the route starts to climb the famous Cascadas del Purgatorio.
Purgatory Waterfalls
Five minutes later we will arrive at La Isla, an area with parking and three restaurants (Los Claveles, Pinosaguas and, on the other side of the river, La Isla) where we will park our vehicle to start the route on foot.
We will have no problem finding the path, which runs parallel to the Lozoya River. (also called La Angostura, a name that is also used to baptize our route and the valley in which we find ourselves) and, although we hardly see it, the M-604.
It will hardly take 10 minutes to find the Pradillo Dam , the most spectacular part of our adventure. From below, the waterfall bifurcates the Lozoya riverbed into dozens of whitish streams; From above, the small reservoir that is created catches the peaks of the Sierra de Guadarrama in its reflection; On its sides, the leafy pine forests that surround the enclave bring green to the complex. Time to recreate the view and the camera.
Impressive, right?
The route continues upriver along the same path, with the turquoise blue water to our left and the forest to our right, where in addition to pines we will see oaks and various tall bushes.
Some ancient yew trees also live there, such as the famous Barondillo Tejo. More difficult to see is its fauna, with various mammals (wild boar, roe deer, hare, otter, fox) and birds (imperial eagle, black vulture, great spotted woodpecker, eagle owl) to its credit.
In about an hour we will arrive at Narrowness Bridge , old stone bridge that crosses the Lozoya allowing to cross to the other side and make the circular route, which will go down again to our starting point on the opposite shore, this time completely inside the pine forests. When in doubt, just follow the beacons of the R.V. 1, painted yellow and green.
It is very likely that we will have little or no coverage on our mobiles throughout the journey, so if we want to take care of ourselves, it is better Download a map of the area in advance or, once there, ask whoever crosses your path.
A magical waterfall in Rascafría
Back, shortly before reaching the car, we will have the spectacular view of the Pradillo Dam, this time from the opposite side (takes out the camera again).
Before starting our way back, the three restaurants mentioned above put their services at our disposal. time to take a coffee, a cup of broth, a cane or to account for its traditional dishes (chervil, croquettes, oyster mushrooms, boletus, chanterelles, spoon stews...) , either a la carte or in your menu of the day.
The Pradillo Dam from a bird's eye view